Rating: 
Summary: Sure, it was occasionally funny, but...
Review: I just found the book depressing. The father with anger problems, the mother with overwhelming depression, the older brother who was so socially dysfunctional that I'm surprised he didn't become a serial killer -- is this really a "normal" childhood? It certainly wasn't my childhood... my parents were well-adjusted and kind, and raised us without needing to hide behind the church, or alcohol. We didn't treat animals as expendable, and we didn't have guns lying around on the table. This book gave me an occasional chuckle, but mostly made me want to call my parents to thank them for giving me such a pleasant childhood.One other thing about the book which confuses me -- Zippy is constantly expressing her doubts about her religion, and her envy of other religions with more pomp and circumstance. She's attracted to the trappings of religion though, not the substance of it. At the end of the book, we see a little bio of the author and it mentions she attended the seminary at such and such a school. I didn't find any evidence in the book that religion was of any importance to her, certainly not important enough for her to study it later in life.
Rating: 
Summary: Yes, parts are not funny but.......
Review: I am a bit startled by the reaction that some reviewers have to the scenes of animals being abused. Small town and farm life can be brutal, as can all life, death, of humans and animals is part of life. I see no endorsment of cruelty to animals, just reporting the facts. Who has not lost a loved cat, dog or other pet. Hurts, but part of growing up. Would you write a book about the Holocaust and remake the camps into Butlin's Camps? War without death? Sorry,it was part of her life and to have left it out would have left the book lacking. Her parents, gosh, my parents loved me and I loved them, but they were not perfect. If I could ever write like this....I would try to show them the way they were, not try to make some fantasy 50's TV life. A great book, loaned by my sister, but I refuse to return it until my wife and kids have a chance to enjoy it. Relax, I will get my own copy. One of the best books I have read and one that I really hated to end.
Rating: 
Summary: tracy from what was once a small town in CT
Review: I have very mixed feelings about this book. The writing was phenomenally good--I absolutely loved almost every sentence, and was in constant awe at the way she could construct a seemingly simple sentence about a seemingly simple event or observation that was ironic, poignant, original, childlike, innocent, and wise all at the same time. I would give anything to be able to write like that! However, the stories of animal abuse and neglect horrified me. I cannot believe that in such a short, otherwise innocent and enjoyable book there could be such a disproportionate number of graphic, shocking, and haunting animal stories! I wish I had never read them--the one about the neighbors butchering the rabbits will, unfortunately, always remain in my mind, thanks to the unbearable detail the author provides. What is more disturbing than the stories themselves, however, is that neither the author nor the vast majority of my fellow Amazon reviewers found them to be excrutiatingly sad and disturbing--a VERY sad commentary on our society as a whole, I guess. As much as I loved this book--apart from the many animal stories--I will not be able to pass it on to my family or friends because they (like me) are all far too fond of animals to endure the unpleasantness I endured while reading this book. I honestly could not believe how these stories just went on and on, chapter after chapter, throughout almost the entire book.
I guess the fact that I still gave the book 4 stars is a real testament to the quality of the writing, and the power of the non-animal portions of the book!
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: Haven Kimmel is a truly amazing writer, the way she turns everyday events into exciting stories is astonishing. I especially enjoyed the last chapter, the way her parents try so hard to make her happy is inspiring. I definantly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a good laugh.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful -- A Must Read!
Review: This book was just soooo good! It is absolutely hilarious from beginning to end. Zippy may have "grown up small," but she definitely had a big attitude! A wonderful book for everyone that will bring back a lot of your own childhood memories! Read it--you'll love it... :o)
Rating:
Summary: Touching, and uproariously funny!
Review: This is a book of childhood memories, presented simultaneously (and seamlessly) from the point of view of the child living these adventures, and of a woman who sees how limited that child's vision was. This book has an edge that reminds me of "Malcolm in the Middle" (but set in Indiana in the 60's). The heroine's matter-of-fact acceptance of her friend's inability to speak and her own to speak for her is rendered hilarious when the friend's mother calls the girl to have her interpret her daughter's unspoken desires over the phone. Her righteous indigation over the incompetence of her teacher is wise and witty, but when she makes the confides her opinion to, let's say, a poorly-chosen confessor, the comedy is irresistable. Descriptions of her parents' vacation preparations will surely strike a chord with baby boomers from all over America. I'd love to hear more of this writer's stories!
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Haven...
Review: I haven't finished this book yet. I keep putting it off. Every time I pick it up, I find myself in one of those moments... like when I was a kid and summer vacation was about to end. I'm having the time of my life but as the pages in my left hand get a little heavier than those in my right... I panic a little - afraid that someday this book will end. I have never taken my time doing ANYTHING
until I started reading this book. I should also mention that I hate to read - not because I don't like the act of reading, but because I have a really low tolerance for bad writing. This is not bad. I can't imagine how it could be better. The only thing I don't like about the writing style is that I can't do it. As a former small-town tom-boy with a degree in Writing Arts... this makes me spitting mad. I think I'll wait till Christmas Eve or my birthday to finish it... I'll pick a day when I won't be quite so sad that it's ending. I just don't think my little heart could take watching both the summer and this book end at the same time. Buy it, read it, make it last.
Like the summer days of childhood, this book goes by too fast.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't stand it by the end...
Review: The animal cruelty and the glee the author finds in retelling the stories was quite disturbing. Zippy's complete lack of compassion or empathy for animals and unfortunate humans was neither cute or entertaining.
Plus, this is one of the most self-conscious memoirs I've read. The author makes a great effort to portray herself as precocious, when she was really just obnoxious and annoying. She also makes a lame attempt to show her "intellect" by quoting a couple of poems. It didn't work or fit into the stories she was telling.
Rating: 
Summary: Ummmm....No
Review: Despite its lack of plot and structure, this book wasn't all that bad. It had some fairly interesting parts along with some quite funny parts. I disliked the lack of plot in the book and the way it seemed to just describe every little detail it could. It seemed as if she was just trying to make the book longer. The begging was extremely boring with few parts that kept my interest, but towards the end it seemed to pick up and involve more exciting incidents. Despite the poor writing structure (in my opinion), the writing was extremely good and very descriptive (too descriptive at some times as I said before). I also disliked the fact that it would change subject between every few paragraphs, telling a different story each time, only to come back to the original story, sometimes causing confusion. Overall, the book was bad, but at its good points, they were pretty damn good.
Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK
Review: Coming of age stories are my favorite and here is one that takes me back in time to my own childhood, complete with wierd pets, goofy parents and love/hate friendships. I love this book because it's a Non-fiction growing up tale that lacks the sexual abuse, child abuse, addiction, mental illness that make up so many stories of childhood. This family has it's own dysfunctions and all do, yet in the normal way. Zippy made me smile and I recommend it to all my reader friends.
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